


like some teen movie

by TechnicalTragedy



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Awkwardness, Fluff, M/M, Robotics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-28
Updated: 2017-03-28
Packaged: 2018-10-11 22:40:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10476108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TechnicalTragedy/pseuds/TechnicalTragedy
Summary: They meet, officially, in robotics class.Taryon is assigned to be partners with Percy Lots-of-Middle-Names de Rolo, the boy he's had a crush on for years.





	

**Author's Note:**

> okokokokok i was feelin in a cutesy mood and wanted something nice and fluffy to start off my new [writing blog](http://tarringtondaryon.tumblr.com)!!
> 
> i'll probably post most of what i write there on here, but it's gonna be dedicated to rarepairs and that goodgood percy/tary content was my first thought!

They meet, officially, in robotics class.

 

It’s the first time it’s ever been offered at the high school, and by the teacher’s unwitting graciousness - de Rolo and Darrington start with the same letter, after all - Taryon is assigned to be partners with Percy Lots-of-Middle-Names de Rolo, the boy he’s had a crush on since the de Rolo family’s old school system was consolidated into Taryon’s years ago.

 

Taryon finds Percy utterly fascinating. He’s shot up in the past year, now towering over Taryon in a way that makes his gay little heart flutter, and they have quite a few common interests, such as those that landed them in the same robotics class this year. In Taryon’s mind, they may as well be soulmates. But it’s kind of hard to find out if you have any real chemistry with someone you’ve never spoken to, which is why Taryon is over the moon when Victor (the teacher had insisted everyone call him by his first name) seats them together.

 

Percy smiles and introduces himself to Taryon, and he barely manages to not look like a complete buffoon as he stutters out his own name. There isn’t much time for conversing, though, not when Victor launches into a lecture about being safe with the equipment.

 

“If his missing fingers are any indicator, he should take his own advice,” Percy mumbles, mostly to himself.

 

Taryon laughs quietly and is rewarded with a smile that takes his breath away.

 

It’s nice, being Percy’s partner. He’s sharp as a tack and quick witted, too, able to laugh even when he’s laser focused on the assignment at hand. Taryon’s favorite part about Percy is that he makes it feel like Taryon has a friend. For Percy, the guy with a loyal and downright intimidating group of friends who he’s almost never not around, it might not be a big deal to treat Taryon like at least a friendly acquaintance, but to Taryon, who’s never really had a friend before and isn’t used to people getting along with him or really even being nice in general, it’s a huge thing. Of course, it doesn’t extend outside of the robotics classroom. They’re civil when they notice each other (when Percy notices Taryon, because Taryon can’t help but notice Percy wherever he goes), but only in robotics do they really ever talk. Taryon will take what he can get, though.

 

The school year continues, weeks turning to months in a steady, monotonous slog.

 

Taryon spends lunchtime alone in the library, either reading or working on his servant app, Doty, that he plans on making into a full-fledged robot someday. He goes to class, does well, avoids his father’s disapproving gaze at home, rinse and repeat. The brightest spots are his talks with Percy. He looks forward to robotics almost as much as he does to perfecting Doty, and Taryon knows his crush is only getting more obvious, but he can’t find it in himself to care. It doesn’t really matter that much. Months later, he’ll still take what he can get.

 

Percy looks at Taryon through the ridiculously thick-lensed glasses he wears when he’s working on fine details and raises an eyebrow.

 

“Your house or mine?” he says.

 

Taryon swears his heart stops beating. “Uh,” he says, intelligently. “What?”

 

Percy pushes his glasses down the bridge of his nose. “The project we have to do before we go on break for Winter’s Crest, remember? We have to work on it outside of class.”

 

“Oh!” Taryon remembers now. He’d only been half paying attention when Victor was talking about it, too busy memorizing the angle of Percy’s jaw out of the corner of his eye. “Yes. The project. Um. We could do it at mine, if we need to? I know you have lots of siblings and they might mess with it. I don’t think my sister would care enough to touch it if we did it at my house, and I have plenty of tools to work on it. But if you’d rather do it at yours, that’s no problem either.”

 

Percy’s lips pull up into that soft, absent smile of his, where he’s not paying complete attention but is still listening, and he nods. “Are you okay with doing the project at your house?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Then it’s settled,” Percy says. He tears a strip off his paper and scribbles a series of numbers onto it. “Text me your address later and we can plan when to work on it.”

 

The bell rings like it was just waiting for Percy to be able to make a dramatic exit, and he waves to Taryon as he leaves. Taryon notices he forgets to take his goofy-looking glasses off, but figures he’ll probably remember sooner rather than later, so keeps quiet about it.

 

Victor is saying something to the dispersing class, but all Taryon hears is white noise. Percy’s phone number is clutched tight in his hand.

 

It’s looking like a good day.

 

Taryon enters Percy’s number into his phone at lunch, gnawing on his lower lip as he decides which emojis to put in Percy’s contact. Focusing on that prevents him from freaking out about having Percy’s number in the first place. Once he’s settled on a blushing emoji, Taryon’s fingers hover over the keyboard, wondering if it would be unwelcome to send Percy a text right now. After a moment of doubt and deliberation, Taryon just does it, wanting to be bold in a way he isn’t used to.

 

**TARYON:** hey percy this is taryon. i live at 700 wyldmount place and im free pretty much whenever so just lmk when you want to work on the project!!

 

He lets out a breath when the text is sent, feeling like a weight is off his shoulders. The tension rolls back in when his phone lights up with a response.

 

**PERCY:** This wknd work fr u  
 **TARYON:** saturday?  
 **PERCY:** How abt 3  
 **TARYON:** saturday 3 my place?  
 **PERCY:** Ok  
 **TARYON:** ok!!

 

As soon as their brief conversation is over, Taryon pulls up Doty and begins describing the interaction excitedly, wanting to keep the feeling saved as long as he can. Maybe it’s a little sad that the only way he can share his happiness is through his servant app, but Taryon stopped wanting to pity himself all the time quite a while ago. Doty’s enough to meet his needs, in the end.

 

The week seems to drag on forever. Taryon has something to look forward to, and nothing can drag his mood down, even his dad yelling at him.

 

Saturday finally comes and Taryon has cleaned everything in his nervousness, his mother and sister are out of the house and his father is locked up in the study. Now all Taryon has to do is wait for Percy to arrive. It’s driving him up the walls.

 

The clock ticks over to three and, punctual as you please, the doorbell rings.

 

Taryon scrambles to it, taking a steadying breath as he pushes the door open and grins wide at Percy on the other side. He's dressed much more casually than he usually is, his flowing blue coat gone, replaced by a soft looking T-shirt and, Taryon notices with only a little bit of internal screaming, a pair of those gray sweatpants everyone except Taryon seems to own.

 

“Nice house,” Percy says. He's got a tiny quirk of a smile on his lips and Taryon almost blushes.

 

“Come in, come in,” Taryon says in a rush. He swings the door open wider in invitation, almost running his own foot over and barely managing to avoid it. He's sure he looks like a total fool, but Percy just keeps smiling that enigmatic smile and enters Taryon's home.

 

They make their way to the shed out back, all of Taryon's tools lined up on the worktable with everything Victor gave them for the assignment.

 

Percy picks up the soldering iron curiously, turning it over in his hands. “You do a lot of independent projects?” he asks.

 

Taryon swallows. “Uh, I don't know. Kind of. It's a hobby, I guess. I haven't had as much time, um, recently. But, uh, yeah, I make little. Things.”

 

“So,” Percy says. He turns back to Taryon, setting the soldering iron down. “Think we should mess with the circuitry or the body first?”

 

This, this is what Taryon knows how to do. It's like a flip is switched, and his anxiety melts away to be replaced with the cold, comforting calculations he needs to do to make sure they don't fail this assignment. Percy reaches for the sketches they'd done in class, and Taryon grabs a pencil. “Body, definitely,” he says.

 

The hours pass in a blur of singed fingertips and Percy's snorting laughter whenever Taryon gets distracted and slips. It's a good afternoon.

 

By the time they're finished with their project, the sun has set and Taryon mother and sister have returned. He walks Percy to his car, the two of them not talking much but brushing arms as they head toward the vehicle waiting in Taryon's driveway. He wishes they had more time together. He loves being around Percy, finds him unbearably cute especially when he's dressed down like this. These hours together haven't been long enough, could never be long enough.

 

Percy stops short of getting into his car. He has a pensive look on his face, like he's considering some difficult problem. “So, uh, Tary,” Percy says, clearing his throat.

 

Taryon wets his lips. “Yeah, Percy?”

 

“I, well. Don't,” Percy pauses, then sighs at himself. “Do you wanna, um, come grab a bite to eat with me? We both skipped dinner and, I mean, if you don't want to it's okay but I just thought that I would ask, because-”

 

“Yeah,” Taryon cuts off his babbling, not even bothering to try and suppress his smile. “I'd love to.”

 

Percy smiles back at him, a little cautious. “You would?”

 

Taryon nods. “I'll text my mom and tell her we're leaving, it'll be fine. Did you have any particular place in mind?”

 

“I didn't think I'd get this far, honestly,” Percy admits. Taryon would swear he were blushing if that wasn't completely ridiculous. “What's your opinion on pizza?”

 

Taryon shrugs. “Pizza's great. I could direct you there?”

 

Percy laughs a little, nodding, eyes locked onto Taryon like he doesn't want to look anywhere else. It sets Taryon's heart thumping. Hope blooms in his chest as Percy opens the passenger door for him like some kind of old-fashioned gentleman would do. The radio flicks on, some Top 40 hit playing quietly as Percy pulls out of the driveway. He keeps glancing over to Taryon, obviously trying to be subtle about it, as Taryon advises him to go down the road and turn right. Taryon really, really hopes he's reading this right.

 

“So, um,” Taryon says once they're at a stop sign. “To be clear. Is this, uh. Is this a date, that we're going on right now?”

 

“Do you,” Percy starts, then licks at his lips nervously. “Would you like that? If it was.”

 

Taryon grins. “I would think it's about damn time.”

 

Percy smiles back at him, disbelieving but happy nonetheless. “Then I sure am glad it's a date. I wish I had dressed up for it, though.”

 

You couldn't pay Taryon to keep the grin off his face for the rest of the night. They share pizza at a tiny table tucked into the corner of the restaurant, smiling goofily at each other while they chat about everything and nothing. Percy buys ice cream for both of them when the pizza's all gone, and Taryon works up the courage to hold Percy's hand while they sit outside the ice cream parlor together. Percy gives him a sly look and clutches his hand tighter.

 

Percy drives Taryon home and walks him to his front door.

 

“I feel like I'm in some teen movie,” Taryon says. “Are you going to leave me with a goodnight kiss?”

 

Percy hums thoughtfully, but the ambivalence is a little ruined by the smile he's still wearing. “Hm. I don't know. I'm the one who drove and paid, don't you think you should be the one to kiss me goodnight?”

 

Taryon takes Percy's hand. “So that means you wanna kiss me.”

 

“I'd hope that would be obvious by now, Tary,” Percy says.

 

“Can I kiss you, then?”

 

Percy squeezes his hand. “I would like nothing more.”

 

It's chaste, really. Just a brief, dry press of lips. It can't last more than a couple seconds, but Taryon feels like he's imploding, like he's going to go off his rocker if he never gets to kiss Percy again. So he kisses him once more, even quicker than the last.

 

“Goodnight, Percy,” Taryon says. “Thank you for dinner.”

 

“Wait, wait, Tary,” Percy stops him. “Does this- I mean, are we, like? Boyfriends?” Percy flushes at the word.

 

Taryon cocks his head. “Do you wanna be my boyfriend?”

 

Percy swallows, Taryon watches his throat bob with it. “I, uh, yeah. I wanna be your boyfriend. But, you know, only if you'll be mine, too.”

 

“Then I guess,” Taryon says, pausing to tease Percy with a smile, “we'll be boyfriends. Goodnight, my boyfriend.”

 

Percy leans in just one more time, kissing Taryon's cheek sweetly. “Boyfriend. My boyfriend, Tary. Goodnight, boyfriend,” he says. He backs up, holding Taryon's hand as long as he can before he has to step down off the porch and retreat to his car. He pauses as he opens the door, and leans against it. “Don't be a stranger, Tary Darrington.”

 

Taryon grins out at him. “You have to keep that promise, too, Percival Fredrickstein Whatever de Rolo!”

 

“And learn my name,” Percy says, sticking his tongue out.

 

“Oh, hopefully I'll have a long time to learn your train of a name,” Taryon says. “I've already got half of it down.”

 

Percy blows a kiss. “I hope you have a long time to learn it, too. Goodnight.”

 

“Goodnight!”

 

The door closes, the engine starts, and Taryon watches Percy drive off until he can't see the car anymore.

 

“Doty, take this down!” he crows as he opens up the servant app. Dutifully, Doty logs the events of the night.

 

**PERCY:** Gnite bf :*

**TARYON:** goodnight!! -3-

 

Taryon pinches himself. It's real.

 

He hopes it can stay that way forever.

 

**Author's Note:**

> come log events w me on tumblr [@aramente](http://aramente.tumblr.com) or [@tarringtondaryon](http://tarringtondaryon.tumblr.com)


End file.
